Deception
by Muse07
Summary: Who is Draco really after?
1. Deception

Draco lay in bed, his eyes unwilling to open and spoil the last remnants of his dream. He mentally embraced the auburn-haired figure, his fingers just brushing the porcelain skin before wisps clouded his vision and he awoke fully.

The four-poster bunk was sweet with his familiar scent and it was some minutes before Draco could bring his body to push away the covers and trod to the boy's lavatory, sleep still clouding his eyes. However, he was soon bright eyed after catching a whif of Crabbe's 'Cavity Crave' toothpaste, a trinket bought at Zonko's last Hogsmeade visit that would probably inflict more damage than provoke amusement.

While attempting to hold his breath and brush his teeth at the same time, Draco spotted Blaise effortlessly induce the bathroom door to open with a flip of his wand. Setting the thing aside, he proceeded to wash himself, casting a reserved nod to Draco, who offered his greetings accordingly. It was seldom that the two spoke, Blaise being a loner and Draco being the most coveted Slytherin male, according to his (numerous) lovely ladies. But sometimes Draco found himself wishing that he wouldn't mind putting on Blaise's spotless leather loafers for a day or two, just to step away from his expecting crowd.

Draco relieved himself of these troubling thoughts with a splash of cool water to the face. Once back in the dorm he dressed, his fingers guiding themselves to expertly fasten his acid green tie onto the white collared shirt, then don the standard Slytherin robes. Lastly, his black leather shoes were tied, and with one last glance at Blaise, Draco exited the Common Room.

He was just leaving the Great Hall after a simple breakfast of toast, when he heard it.

"Draco!"

The blonde sighed. It was Pansy, of course.

"Draco, darling, did you forget about something?" Her raven hair harshly reflected the floating candle's flame into Draco's eyes, and he squinted as they walked.

"Yes...I felt a bit lightheaded, so I couldn't meet you...besides, it was late and you know I need my beauty rest," he half-joked, his lie obvious to her piercing eyes. He didn't apologize, though. He had never sincerely apologized in his life, and wasn't about to start, especially with such a petty instance as this. Pansy pursed her lips and held her chin a bit higher, replying how she shouldn't even attempt to wait up for him all night all alone, but he was hardly listening. It wasn't the first time he had lost interest in Pansy's love-making escapades.

Without waiting for her to express her undying love for his body, he lengthened his stride, and she was quickly left behind in the hall while he headed for the Potions room.

"Would you like to join the class in our enlightening discussion, Mr Malfoy?" Snape hissed, and Draco was caught off-guard at the sudden appearance of his Potions teacher but grateful for the near-silent reprimanding. Of course, it was widely known that Snape favored his own house, so Draco wasn't in much danger of being openly disgraced. The boy reluctantly pulled his gaze away from the Gryffindor female standing over her cauldron, purposely distracting him (so it seemed), as Snape gave him one last warning look.

Hermione gave a wave of her auburn hair as her brew turned a favorable icy blue, precisely what Draco wanted in his but could not seem to get. He wanted to ask her for help, then turned on the idea as his mind conveniently reminded him of the long-standing controversy between the Gryffindors and Slytherins. How could he have forgotten? Maybe it was because the lean girl's hair looked nearly as soft as the figure in his constant dream...maybe because her skin was almost as white and impeccable.

"Damnit," Draco sarcastically muttered. At least in his dreams the feelings were mutual.


	2. Revelation

The sun was streaming through the windows of the castle, bathing Draco's broad back as he sat facing the opposite wall of the Slytherin Common Room. He was brooding. The habitual deck of cards were out, and the blonde's skill was undeterred though his troubles were drenching him. A mountain of glossy cards was being continually added onto; the king's, queen's, and jester's faces all laughing. Laughing at Draco for his plight, his hopeless misery, his constant wallowing in the shadow of that Gryffindor girl.

An obnoxious scuffing was heard, distrupting the crisp silence. Crabbe and Goyle stormed through the entrance and pounded their way to Draco, causing the glorious mountain of cards to pitifully drop to the surface. Draco's pale features trembled in the shadow before he screamed -

"DAMNIT! YOU BLOODY IMBECILES!"

The rage was not held back. The two oafs shrank away from the blonde, whose otherwise pale face had reddened.

"Very sorry, Draco - " Crabbe attempted, but Draco's harsh voice sounded once again as he ordered the two to get out of his sight. The two scampered off, as quickly as their obesity would allow.

Fuming, the boy heard a mild chuckle from the farthest shadow. Blaise Zabini sat in an armchair stirring his tea.

"What are you chuckling about?" growled Draco.

Blaise didn't miss a beat. "Well, I thought it was rather amusing how you've spent this whole time troubling yourself over a pack of cards - which no doubt leads me to believe that you are troubling yourself over a girl. A certain Gryffindor? You're unmistakeably obvious, you know."

Draco was utterly speechless. His first instinct was to deny any romantic feelings for the mudblood, but he realized that by denying his attraction he was merely affirming it. He chose a different route.

"Other than how obvious I am, I would like to know why you even care, Zabini."

Blaise grinned, something not often seen. "Your eyes are glued to her rear every potions class. Of course I care."

"Have you got tabs on her ass, Zabini?" Draco was becoming defensive, and automatically moved closer.

Blaise only chuckled once more, and then returned to his tea. Taking a quick sip, he replied, "I've got tabs on her every move, Malfoy."

Draco tossed in his sleep. With Blaise breathing contently only three bunks away from him, it was difficult for the blonde to get him out of his mind. What had he meant earlier that day? Furthermore, why was Draco so defensive? Territorial male instincts, he supposed. It was only natural, and therefore pointless to deny that he couldn't stand not having his way. He was going to get Granger, and her rear...it was no matter what Zabini had blubbered about.

Blaise was sleeping with a smile on his face.

From then on things were different between Blaise and Draco. Before, the two had respectfully acknowledged each other when passing, but now only hard stares from Draco were evident. But Blaise looked as content as before, and it only infruriated Draco to think that he knew something about Granger unknown to him.

It wasn't long before the winter holidays set in, and a sheet of constant snow clouded the sky. The castle was transformed into a white splendor, and Draco even found himself enjoying the feel of the brisk air. He had even more fun conjuring devil snowballs to bludgeon Potty and Weasel with. It was while he was seated alone under large pine, shooting the snowballs at his two enemies and chuckling, when Hermione found him.

"Having fun, Malfoy?" she asked angrily.

Draco's heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to coolly reply, "What's it to you, Granger?"

"Only the dignity of my two best friends." Her eyes were cold, and Draco wished for the familiar warmth that occurred when she laughed. She continued, "It was fairly easy to figure out who was throwing snowballs at them - while behind a moving tree, it seems."

It was true. Draco had bewitched the oak in front to continuously move after every shot, so that it was impossible for the average bystander to catch a glimpse of the blonde quietly seated. "Why do you care so much about him?" he surprised himself.

Hermione was caught off guard. "Harry, you mean?" Draco noticed concern flood her eyes. "I don't - he's different, I suppose...I'm just looking out for him. It was difficult after...Sirius..." She broke off and seemed to be lost in thought, gazing at Harry, who was standing with Ron a few hundred yards away.

Draco was determined not to show sympathy. His sense told him to stop what he was about to do, but something more overbearing pushed the thought away. He rose gracefully and evenly stepped over to where Hermione was standing. She started at the sudden movement but Draco already had her too close; her lips were trapped in his and she tensed. His broad hands were rested on her hips, and she relaxed as the kiss deepened, leaving Harry to wonder in vain where she had gone.

_Remember when_

_You held me tight..._

_and you kissed me._

_And it felt so right..._

_-----------------------------------------_

Song lyrics are from "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Renee Olstead


	3. Turmoil

The blistering wind cut at her face without regret as Hermione trudged through the snow, away from Hagrid's hut. It had been two weeks since the incident, and though the girl's face positively glowed everytime she secretly made eye contact with her new-found lover, she was riven inside. She hadn't brought herself to tell her two best friends about Draco - granted, she'd always fancied him a bit, but had certainly not told anyone. It was far too risky, given the fact that before the incident she hadn't known anything about Draco's feelings for her.

She could do it. She and Draco could publicly announce to the entire population of the school that they were _involved_, simply by holding hands in the courtyard, or, as Draco probably preferred, snogging in the hallway. But to tell the truth, Hermione hadn't even uttered one word to Draco since that afternoon in the forest; the opportunity simply hadn't occured. The boy always had some minion or another minion trailing behind him. He was, after all, the lord of the Slytherin House, Hermione noted to herself with an embarrased grin.

But it was becoming difficult for the girl to remain quiet when Harry and Ron disgraced Draco behind his back, much less agree with them. She wanted to scream at them to at least tell it to his face, but of course then her secret would be out. No, when and if they decided to go public, it wouldn't be by accident.

By now she was nearly to the castle. She had left for her own sanity; Ron and Harry were badgering about Draco again and she couldn't stay without exploding at them. Hermione had made up an excuse about having to finish the 'Similarities Between Vampires and Werewolves' essay, hoping that the two wouldn't catch that it was assigned last year. Finally she was inside, and sinking down with her back against a shadowy stone wall, closed her eyes.

It was all she could muster of herself not to scream when she felt an icy breath hit her face, whispering, "What's this? A lone mudblood girl all alone on the floor?" It was Draco, his unblinking eyes staring directly into hers.

She was perturbed that he had called her a mudblood. But, setting the thought aside as her sense reminded her that she was with _Draco Malfoy_, probably the hottest male besides Blaise Zabini in this scool, she merely caught herself from replying nastily. 

Draco smirked, and crouched down beside her. His head reached to her cheek and planted two determined kisses on each, while she held her breath. She couldn't _believe_ this was happening. Much to her dissatisfaction he stopped, and instead gracefully pulled her off the floor. His large hands encompased hers easily and the two stood there for a moment, not uttering a word, but merely staring into the depths of each others' eyes. He was the first to move, though his eyes did not - a hand snaked behind his back to grab his wand, and with a quick glance and word directed at the opposing wall, a magnificent mahogany wood door appeared. A million thoughts were sprinting through Hermione's mind at this moment, the most significant being what was in the room - but more importantly, what he planned to do in the room. As Draco opened the conjured door with a sweep of his impeccable hand, she saw that the room contained an ornately adorned king size bed, complete with a royal burgundy spread. The walls were completely bare, the only light coming from the lone chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. She should have known. Before she could even contradict what must have been going on in Draco's mind at the moment, he had pushed her against the wall opposite the bed and started delving into her gaping mouth with his tongue. His kiss filled her with lust, and the disbelief brought on before faded. Before long they were breaking apart only to gasp for air, his arms continually pulling her closer to the bed. They were at the foot of the it now; she noted a hungry look in his steely eyes as he lifted her off the ground and laid her on the thing. Without pausing he was already unclasping her blouse buttons and she reached for his own collared shirt before her mind corrected the action - instead, she grasped his wrists with her frail hands. His gaze was intriguing as he abruptly stopped his quest for her underthings, and Hermione was scarcely able speak.

"Draco - please, I don't really..." she swallowed.

"You don't want me?" he countered, bringing his face closer to hers, and she could smell his tantalizing cologne. The smell was practically begging her body to go along with what he was doing.

"No, I do, it's just...I mean, canwenotdoitnow?" she spluttered out, as a frown crossed his forehead.

He straightened, and the girl longingly caught one last sigh of that provacative perfume.

"I see." was all he could bear to utter. The two awkwardly separated, Draco simply unwrapping his arms from her waist, while she was forced to roll away. Draco knew now that he had gone too fast; how could he expect a girl like Hermione to go along without question, like Pansy did? Secretly, though, he was captivated. The chase was so much more involving than an easy fuck. He hid his curving lips from her, and lifted her from the bed, noting her burning face. His two hands crept to her cheeks as he leaned down a little.

"Hermione, look at me. I'm sorry for pushing. I know you're not - "

"Like Pansy?" she finished.

It was a comical sight, to see the great Draco Malfoy hanging his head. But that was what he did, as he felt the bitterness in her voice hit him like a limb of the Whomping Willow.

"I'm sorry," was all he could utter.

Hermione saw the regret in his eyes.

The two exited from the room, his arm conservatively around her waist.


	4. Bliss

"Damnit, Malfoy," Blaise growled.

The two were inches apart, Draco's back flat against the Slytherin hallway. The blonde had just entered the portal after walking Hermione to her own house when Blaise had cornered him. Now the blonde and auburn were glaring daggers at each other, and Draco was becoming fairly pissed off.

"What the hell is this about, Zabini?" Draco asked, though he knew exactly what was going on.

Blaise simply narrowed his gaze further and icily replied, "I know where you were...who you were with," and Draco's mouth went dry. For some inexplicable reason he found himself wary of being in the hallway with no one present, though he matched Blaise in height and build.

"Do you know that she dreams about me every night?" he continued. "She remembers."

Draco found that this piece of information could go many ways in his mind, and had to steady himself before hissing, "Hermione is mine now, Blaise. You lost your chance. Have a go with Pansy, why don't you? I don't _need _her anymore." He knew that would rile Blaise.

Before either could continue the ill-fated conversation, a scuffling was heard at the end of the dark hallway and Blaise muttered a curse. With one last glance at Draco, and a glare that clearly said "touch her once more and you're mine," the Slytherin turned with a swish of his robes, leaving Draco to encounter Goyle, who was coming ever closer to where the boy stood.

Straightening himself and brushing his ever-clean attire free of dirt, Draco prepared himself for Goyle's questioning look. But none came - instead, he simply walked right past as if Draco wasn't even there, which punched a hole in the boy's ego. He was too thoroughly disturbed to bother correcting the oaf, though. Realizing that he couldn't possibly intrude on what was now Blaise's territory, Draco reluctantly exited.

"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Ron gaped.

The girl sighed. She had seen it coming. Now, standing awkwardly in front of her two best friends, she seemed to see her former life pass before her as Harry seemed lost for words.

"Look, before you come to - "

"I SAW YOU! YOU AND THAT...THAT BLOODY FERRET! IN THE ROOM! ALONE! HANDS ON YOUR..." he exploded.

"Hands on my what, Ron? Arse?" Hermione's lips twitched as Ron's face grew increasingly more red.

The redhead stood, lost for words. At last he managed to get out, "It's _Malfoy!_"

"I realize that, Ron."

By this time, however, Harry had stepped in. Putting a hand on Ron's shoulder to steady him, Harry peered inquisitively into Hermione's eyes, which troubled her. It was painful for her to sincerely look into his eyes; she didn't want to bring up memories of their flame. She knew he wanted her...and that was why it made her heart ache to think that she was another loss of his, ever since Sirius had gone.

"Harry..." she started.

He cut her off, holding up his other hand. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Reluctant as she was, Hermione could see his point. Draco was widely known as the heart-breaker of Hogwarts. He had his way with the girls, and then tossed them into the ever-growing pile. It made her sick to think that she was being used, but her gut feeling pushed her to go with it.

She sat down next to Harry, the candlelight blazing above. Leaning closer, she replied, with hesitation, "I need to see him, Harry."

This was obviously hurtful. He looked down and didn't say anything for a long while, until at last he looked up again at Ron, who merely nodded before retiring to the adjoining room.

After Ron had left them, Harry spoke. "The offer is still there." His eyes had such a deep sore in them that it made Hermione's heart swell.

She only repeated, "I need to see him," and Harry turned away.

Hermione left him to be alone. She wanted so desperately to comfort him, but she knew that by staying there she was only a living presence of the thing he could not have. Pushing once at the portrait from behind, she left the house and stood in the hallway, silent tears masking her face.

It wasn't long before Draco found the girl, weeping alone. Coming up from behind he lay his arms across her waist and leaned his head down to kiss away the tears. A small smile brightened her face as he turned to face her.

"Alright?" he simply asked.

Holding her head up and wiping the remaining tears away, she nodded, thankful for his minimal questioning.

"Come on," he said, offering her his hand. She took it and the two agreed without words that this was it.

All the students passing by the two in the main hall caught a glimpse of Draco meeting his lips with his lovers'.

_You know what matter to me,_

_I'm in the wide open space._

_You offer me so much,_

_I fly away._

Song lyrics (c) 4 Strings, from the song "Fly Away"


	5. Pain

Things were strained between Hermione and her friends now. The girl was reminiscing as she trotted down the Grand Staircase, thinking of how she had left Ron and Harry in the dormitories, too preoccupied by the thought of meeting Draco to argue with them. Hermione bit her lip as she stepped through the castle doors into the open air. She just wished her best friends would accept her choice.

With her scarf wrapped tightly around her neck, the girl evenly walked through the crisp air, noting several other students casually walking about as well. She left them all behind though, as the outskirts of the forest came into focus, and finally she was alone. Spotting a sharp movement from deeper within the forest with her peripheral vision, Hermione grinned, realizing it was Draco. She continued to walk foward several yards, pretending to not have seen him, yet was still surprised when he coyly grabbed her waist. Hermione whipped around to face him, startled, but her laughter soon took over her initial anxiety as she was dazzled with his mischevious, signature smirk. The two didn't say a word for a moment, as the sky overhead took on a deeper shade of blue, waiting for the sun to set. Hermione flashed an appreciative smile up towards the towering Draco, who answered with a simple kiss.

"I'm glad you came," he said.

Replying with a smile, she said, "I like to see you. I'm not going to get brainwashed by Ron and Harry, you know."

However unreadable his face usually was, she couldn't help noticing the gratitude in his eyes. "You startled me, coming up from behind and all," she mentioned, "I thought I saw you deeper inside the woods."

He frowned. "I was following you from the castle. You were in front of me the whole time. Didn't even turn around, so it was fairly easy to catch you," he chuckled.

Draco was smirking again, but Hermione wondered what she really did see from the woods. Calming herself, she remembered that it wasn't at all unusual to see birds and other beasts, especially on the border of the Forbidden Forest. Satisfied, she turned her attention back to Draco, who had taken on a more serious compusure, much more like his usual self.

"Come on," he offered her an arm. "It's getting positively frigid just standing here. Let's walk a bit."

Gladly taking his arm, the two started along the edge of the forest. It wasn't long before the silence broke, however.

"Hermione, I wanted to ask you something." Her inquiring eyes pushed him to ask her about what had been bothering him. "I...ran into Blaise the other day, and he mentioned some things about you. Odd bloke, he was saying something about how you remember him, very strange..." he trailed off, hardly daring to see what his remark had done.

Hermione didn't reply for a moment. On the contrary, she completely stopped walking. Draco, alarmed at what his comment had induced, released his grip from her arm and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You don't have to tell me if it's anything...personal, you know." He couldn't lose her this way. Perhaps he was overreacting, but this subject seemed to have practically stopped the girl's breathing. She turned away and looked endlessly to the heart of the forest. At length she replied, clenching her fists, not facing him so as to not see his reaction.

"Blaise and I - " she stopped abruptly as she heard a soft "oh," which sounded all to familiarly like the escaping of air from a person's lungs. A soft crumple followed, and the girl whipped around to where her lover was formerly standing.

Draco was lying unconscious on the forest floor.

Gasping, Hermione peered through the ever-darkening forest. Nothing. _What_ had done this to Draco? She took a deep breath and swallowed, thinking through her options. She would have to levitate him, obviously she wasn't strong enough to just carry him back to the castle...what if some creature found the two alone in the forest? Was he even alive? Falling just short of Draco, the girl turned him to that he was facing up (completely forgetting her Medical Muggle Studies class, in which the idea was to not move people who can't move themselves), and grabbed his limp wrist in her shaking hands. She tried to feel for a pulse, but couldn't tell if what she caught was the pounding of her own heart or not.

As she was attempting to listen to his breathing (if there was any), she was hit by a stunning spell. Thrown back several yards, she gasped for air once more and struggled to reach her wand. Whoever, or whatever was doing this, was still unable to be seen. As she started to scream for help, a cold hand was placed over her mouth.

A sinister voice whispered, "Now now, can't have you spoiling all the fun."

She knew that voice anywhere, anytime. Blaise threw off the Invisibility Cloak he was wearing and chuckled grimly, saying, "Stole it from that imbecile Potter. I, for one, wouldn't leave my valuables alone inside my trunk..."

Not wishing to think of how he had even entered the Gryffindor House, Hermione struggled against his binding arms. The suddenness of it all finally reached a climax and she screamed.

"YOU KILLED HIM - YOU FUCKING BASTARD - " but was silenced again by his white-wood wand.

Throwing her to the ground, he was quiet. Unable to talk, she realized that it was useless to bring out her wand without being able to command anything. Losing all direction, she came at him with flying fists. Blaise seemed to not be affected by her abuse, and she fell back, silent tears caressing her face.

Blaise left her standing while he kneeled by Draco's body. He knew she wouldn't run away; she wouldn't leave her lover's body behind. After what seemed like a quick inspection, he nodded to himself and rose. Not knowing what this meant, yet hoping against hope, Hermione was surprised to find her voice back.

"Now, can you possibly keep things quiet for a moment? No wonder dear Professor Snape calls you a loudmouth," he sarcastically commented. "I'll have your wand, if you don't mind." He held out his hand, and she mindlessly handed it over. Everything was lost without Draco.

She was stiff when she forced herself to whipser, "You killed him."

Blaise only chuckled. "Unfortunately, I did not - though that would have been all too satisfying," he replied, noting the girl's obvious relief. His lips only curled once more as that relief turned to anger; the girl realizing that she had given her wand away for nothing. She suddenly kneeled beside Draco and her free-falling tears landed on his fair face.

Blaise towered over the pitiful scene. "I thought you would realize my intentions...being the smartest witch in Hogwarts and all. No matter, though. Let me explain. I couldn't kill him, you see, because then you wouldn't have any incentive to comply with my...requests."

The girl froze and began to quaver noticeably. No, she had sworn she would never become involved with him again...not after last time.


End file.
